🍐 Conference harvest started: noticeable growth immediately after picking
Dendrometer data reveals an interesting phenomenon – but also raises questions
The 2025 Conference harvest has begun. Pears in the Netherlands and Belgium are being picked in large numbers and are ending up in cold storage. Our dendrometer data, linked to WolkyTolky, shows a striking phenomenon: immediately after picking, we see a clear increase in the growth rate of the pears that are still on the tree.
📊 What we see in the data
Our measurements with dendrometers in five fruit regions show:
- Before picking: Normal growth of 0.28 mm per day
- Immediately after picking: Growth increases to 0.44 mm per day (+57%)
This increase is consistently visible in our data from different regions. The explanation seems logical: fewer fruits on the tree means more available energy per remaining pear.
🔬 Practical example from Zeeland
We saw a particularly clear example in Zeeland. On August 25, almost all pears were picked, except for one fruit with the dendrometer. This pear showed a growth spurt of almost 0.8 mm within 24 hours – much more than normal growth.
This extreme case (only one pear on the tree) illustrates the principle, but also raises questions about what happens in more realistic scenarios.
🤔 An interesting thought: staggered harvest
These observations lead to an intriguing question: could a staggered harvesting strategy be beneficial?
The idea:
- Week 1: Pick 50% of the pears
- Week 3-4: Pick the remaining 50% after an extra growth period
Possible advantages:
- More growth for the second half due to reduced competition
- Potentially higher total yield per hectare
- Better size class distribution
⚠️ Many uncertainties
Although the initial results appear promising, there are still many unanswered questions:
- How much extra growth is realistic with 50% picking (versus the extreme 1-pear scenario)?
- Quality effects: Does the quality remain good with a longer hanging time?
- Weather risks: What happens in bad weather conditions?
- Practical feasibility: How do you organize this logistically and in terms of labor?
- Economic impact: Do the extra costs outweigh the possible additional yield?
🔬 More research needed
These initial observations are promising, but we are still at the beginning. In order to recommend staggered harvesting as a serious strategy, more research is needed on:
- Growth patterns at different picking percentages
- Quality preservation during extended hanging time
- Economic feasibility in practice
- Risk factors and mitigation options
🌐 The value of real-time data
What these observations do show is the value of continuous monitoring. By following growth live with WolkyTolky and dendrometers, you gain insight into processes that normally remain invisible. This opens doors to new insights and potentially better harvesting strategies.
👉 Discover WolkyTolky and learn what happens in your orchard after picking
These observations are based on dendrometer data from Noord-Holland, Betuwe, Zeeland, Hageland and Haspengouw. More research is needed to determine the practical applicability.